He continueth his exhortation to good life, 5. assuring them against al deceiuers, that no
committer of mortal sinne shal be saued: considering that for such sinnes it is that the
Heathen shal be damned: 8. & that Christians must rather be the light of al others. 22. Then he
commeth in particular and exhorteth husbands and wiues to doe their duty one towards the other, by
the example of Christ and his obedient and beloued Spouse the Church.
1.
⋮
The Epistle vpon the 3. Sunday in Lent.
BE ye therfore followers of God, as most deare children:
2. and
*
Io. 13,34.
walke in loue, as Christ also loued vs, and deliuered himself for vs an oblation
and host to God in an odour of sweetnes.
3. But
*
Col. 3,5.
fornicaiton and al vncleannes, or auarice let it not so much as be named among
you as it becommeth Saints:
4. or filthines, or foolish talke, or scurrilite, being to no purpose: but rather
giuing of thankes.
5. For vnderstanding know you this that no fornicatour, or vncleane, or couetous person
(which is
✟
See the heretical corruption of this place in the Annotation Col. 3. v. 5.
the seruice of idols) hath inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God.
6. Let no man seduce you with vaine words. For, for these things commeth the anger of
God vpon the children of dissidence.
7. Become not therfore partakers with them.
8. For you were sometime darknes, but now light in our Lord. Walke as children of the
light,
9. (for the fruit of the lights in al goodnes, and iustice, and veritie)
10. prouing what is wel pleasing to God:
11. and communicate not with the vnfruitful workes of darknes, but rather reproue them.
12. For the things that are done of them in secret, it is shame euen to speake.
13. But al things that are reproued, are manifested by the light. For al that is manifested,
is light.
14.
⋮
The Epistle vpon the 20. Sunday after Pentecost.
For the which cause he saith:
*
Es. 9,60.
Rise thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead:
and Christ wil illuminate thee.
15. See therfore, Brethren, how you walke warily. Not as vnwise, but
*
Col. 4,5.
as wise:
16. redeeming the time, because the daies are euil.
17. Therfore become not vnwise, but
*
Ro. 12,2.
vnderstanding what is the wil of God.
18. And be not drunke with wine wherin is riotousnes, but be filled with the Spirit,
19. speaking to your selues in Psalmes & hymnes, and spiritual canticles, chanting and
singing in your harts to our Lord:
20. giuing thankes alwaies for al things, in the name of our Lord Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ Christ to God
and the Father.
21. Subiect one to another in the feare of Christ.
22.
⋮
The Epistle in a votiue masse for marriage.
Let
*
Col. 3,18.
Tit. 2,5.
1 Pet 3,1.
Gen. 3,16.
women be subiect to their husbands, as to our Lord:
23. because
*
1 Cor. 11,3.
the man is the Head of the woman: as Christ is the Head of the
✟
It is much to be noted, that in the first English Bibles there is not once the name of
CHVRCH in al the Bible, but insteed therof, Congregation. Which is so notorious a
corruption, that themselues in the later Bibles correct it for shame, but yet suffer the
other to be read and vsed stil. See the Bible printed in the yeare. 1562.
CHVRCH.
Himself,
Sauiour of his body.
No saluation out of the Cat. Church.
None hath saluation or benefit by Christ, that is not of his body the Church: and what Church
that is, S. Augustin expresseth in these words: The Catholike Church only is the body of
Christ, wherof he is Head. Out of this body the Holy Ghost quickneth no man. And a litle
after: He that wil haue the Spirit, let him beware he remaine not out of the CHVRCH.
Let him beware he enter not into it feinedly. August. ep. 50. ad Bonifacium Comitem in
fine.
the Sauiour of his body.
24. But as the CHVRCH is
Subiect to Christ.
The Church neuer erreth.
The CHVRCH is alwaies to Christ, that is, not only vnder him, but euer obedient to his words
and commandement. Which is an euident and inuincible demonstration that she neuer rebelleth
against Christ, neuer falleth from him by errour, Idolatrie, or false worship, as the Heretikes
now, and the Donatists of old did teach.
subiect to Christ, so also the women to their husbands in al
things.
25. Husbands, loue your wiues, as Christ also
Loued the Church.
Christ's loue toward his Church.
The Church triumphant without spot and wrinkle.
Loe Christes singular loue of the CHVRCH, for which only & the members therof he
effectually suffered his Passion, and for whose continual cleansing & purifying in this
life, he instituted holy Baptisme and other Sacraments: that at length in the next life it
may become without al spot, wrinkle, or blemish. For in this world by reason of the
manifold infirmities of diuers her members, she can not be wholy without sinne, but must
say alwaies, Dimitte nobis debita nostra, Forgiue vs our debts. Aug. li 2. Retract.
c. 18.
loued the CHVRCH, and deliuered himself
for it:
26. that he might sanctifie it, cleansing it by the lauer of water in the Word,
27. that he might present to himself a glorious CHVRCH, not hauing spot or wrinkle, or any
such thing, but that it may be holy and vnspotted.
28. So also men ought to loue their wiues as their owne bodies. He that loueth his wife,
loueth himself.
29. For no man euer hated his owne flesh: but he nourisheth and cherisheth it,
As Christ the Church.
The manifold dignitie of the Church.
It is an vnspeakable dignitie of the CHVRCH, which the Apostle expresseth often els-where,
but specially in this whole passage, to be that creature only for which Christ effectually
suffered, to be washed & embrued with water & bloud issuing out of his holy side, to be
nourished with his owne body (for so doth S. Ireneus expound li. 5. in principio) to be his
members, *to be so ioyned vnto him as the body and members of the same flesh, bone and
substance, to the head; to be loued and cherished of him as wife of husband, yea to be his
wife and most deare Spouse, taken and formed (as S. Augustin often saith) out of his owne
side vpon the Crosse, as Eue our first father Adam's spouse was made of his ribbe. In Psal.
126. & in Psal. 127. & tract. 9 in Ioan. & tract. 120.
*Aug. li. 1. de Sym. ad Catech. c. 9.
The Church is the principal creature.
In respect of which great dignitie and
excellencie, the same holy Father affirmeth the CHVRCH to be the principal creature, and
therfore named in the Creed next after the Holy Ghost. And he proueth against the Macedonians,
the Holy Ghost to be God, because he is named before the Church in the confession of our faith.
The Church can not erre.
Of which incomparable excellencie of the Church, so beloued of Christ, and so inseparatly ioyned
in marriage with him, if the Heretikes of our time had any sense or consideration, they would
neither thinke their contemptible companie or congregation to be the glorious Spouse of
our Lord, nor teach that the Church may erre, that is to say, may be diuorced from her Spouse
for Idolatrie, Superstition, Heresie, or other abominations: Wherupon one of these absurdities
would ensue, that either Christ may sometimes be without a Church & Spouse in earth (as he was
al the while there were no Caluinists, if their Church be the spouse of Christ) or els if the
Catholike Church only is and hath been his wife, and the same haue such errours as the Heretikes
falsely pretend, that his wife so deare and so praised here, is notwithstanding a very whoore.
Absurdities, that follow, if the Church may erre.
Which horrible absurdities proue and conuince to any man of common sense, both that the Catholike
Church alwaies is, and that it teacheth truth alwaies, and to honour God truely and sincerely
alwaies; whatsoeuer the adulterous Generation of Heretikes thinke or blaspheme.
as also
Christ the CHVRCH:
30. because we be the members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31.
*
Genes. 2,24.
Mat. 19,5.
For this cause shal man leaue his father and mother: and shal cleaue to his wife,
and they shal be two in one flesh.
32.
This is a great Sacrament.
Marriage a great Sacrament of Christ and his Church prefigured in the first parents.
Adam (saith S. Augustine tract 15. in Io) who was a forme or figure of him that
was to come, yea rather God in him, gaue vs a great token of a Sacrament. For both he deserued
sleeping to take a wife, and of his ribbe his wife was made vnto him: because of Christ
sleeping on the Crosse the Church was to be made out of his side. In another place he maketh
matrimonie a Sacrament of Christ and his Church: in that, that as the married man must
forsake father and mother and cleaue vnto his wife, so Christ as it were left his father,
exinaniting himself by his incarnation, and left the Synagogue his mother & ioyned himself
to the Church. Li. 12. c. 8 cont. Faust
MATRIMONIE a Sacrament.
In diuers other places he maketh it also a Sacrament, specially in that it is an inseparable
bond betwixt two, & that can neuer be dissolued but by death: signifying Christ's perpetual and
indissoluble coniunction with the Church his one only Spouse, de Gen. ad lit li. 9. c 7.
cont. Pelag. de pec. ori. li. 2. c. 34. De fid. & op. c. 7. De bono coniug. c. 7 & 18 And in
another place, The good of Marriage (saith he) among the people of God is in the
holines of a Sacrament. De bono coniugali. c. 24.
Who would haue thought such mysteries & Sacraments to be in Marriage, that the ioyning of man &
wife together should represent so great a mysterie, if the Apostle himself, & after him this holy
Father and others, had not noted it?
The grace giuen by this Sacrament.
or who can maruel that the holy Church taketh this to be a Sacrament, and to giue grace of
sanctification to the parties married, that they may liue together in mutual fidelitie, bring vp their
children in faith and feare of God, and possesse their vessel (as the *Apostle speaketh) in
sanctification and honour, and not in passion of lust and ignominie, as the Heathen doe which know not
God, and as our brutish new Maisters seeme to doe that commend marriage aboue al things so farre as it
feedeth their concupiscences, but for grace, Sacrament, mysterie, or sanctification thereby, they care
no more then the Heathen or brute beasts doe?
*1 Thes. 4,
The Protestants fleshly estimation of marriage.
And thus we gather that Matrimonie is a Sacrament, and not of the Greek word *Mysterie only, as
Caluin falsely saith, nor of the Latin word **Sacrament, both which we know haue of their nature
a more general signification, and that in the Scriptures also: but whereas these names are here giuen
to Matrimonie by the Apostle, & are not giuen in the Scriptures to Baptisme and the Eucharist, let
them tel vs why they also apply these words from their general signification to signifie specially
& peculiarly those two Sacraments neuer so named expresly in Scripture, and doe not likewise follow
the Catholike Church in calling matrimonie by the same name, which is here so called of the Apostle,
specielly whereas the signification in it, is as great as in any other of the Sacraments, and rather
greater.
*μυςήϱιον
**Sacramentum.
This is a great Sacrament. But I speake in Christ & in the CHVRCH.
33. Neuertheles you also euery one, let each loue his wife as himself: and let the wife
feare her husband.